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space4cycling Glasgow

What is Space4Cycling about?

It’s about making Safe Space for Cycling, for everyone, everywhere in Glasgow and the surrounding area.

It’s about ‘Triple A’ infrastructure: space4cycling works for All Ages and Abilities – older people, families with kids, and people with disabilities who may use adapted cycles such as trikes and handcycles.

It’s about telling our elected representatives such as the local council that lots of people want to cycle, and that cycling should be a popular, safe and enjoyable way to get around the city.

What does space4cycling look like?

High quality infrastructure isn’t fiddly, slow or frustrating: the cycling experience in the Netherlands for example is generally smooth, convenient and prioritised. That’s why people choose it as a way to get around!

What needs to change? For cycling to become a safe, attractive choice, we need substantial, long term investment in high quality infrastructure. The Space4Cycling campaign has 6 key priorities:

Protected space on main roads.

Removing through motor traffic in residential areas.

Lower speed limits.

Cycle-friendly town centres.

Safe routes to school.

Routes through green spaces.

These 6 priorities have the power to make cycling in Glasgow a pleasant, enjoyable and practical experience for everyone!

What isn’t Space4Cycling about?

Encouragement: we’ve been encouraging people to cycling in the UK for decades. But when the conditions are hostile, only a tiny minority will want to ride: encouragement alone isn’t enough. Inviting people to discover the joy of cycling has a part to play, but it isn’t the focus of this campaign.

Road safety / road danger reduction: Road user behaviour has a big impact on whether people will feel safe walking and cycling. But we’ve been encouraging people to ‘share the roads’ for decades, and it hasn’t made much difference to the experience of cycling. People will make mistakes. A mistake shouldn’t mean death or serious injury: that’s why on major roads, cycle-friendly design means protected space. Children on bikes shouldn’t have to share with HGVs.